"I thought Harrison and Katelyn held the monopoly on hotness in My Unexpected Forever, but I WAS WRONG because Jimmy is hot, hot, hot!"

"As
sexy and alluring as Jimmy is, we get to know that he is more than just
eye-candy. He has a past that has shaped who he is and determines what
he wants in his future"

"In
her writing, Heidi really captured the characters falling in love with
each other. It isn't just attraction and sex. The emotions of caring
about someone, and giving themselves over to the love they were
experiencing rang true and was authentic"

"Forever My Girl and My Unexpected Forever have become my "go-to" books and now I'm adding Finding My Forever to the list"

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque
Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home
is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

During
the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing
one of the many stories planned for release or sitting courtside during either
daughter's basketball games.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender
and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that
begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th
in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and
the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of
books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand
prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil (Gift) - I received this from Cristina, my #TeamKILT Secret Santa. As soon as I finished Gretchen's Ten, I wanted to read more by her. The book came to me signed and I think it is from Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, an indie bookstore that I LOVE!!

Max and Menna by Shauna Kelley (free download) - (My Review) Shauna offered a limited time free download. I have the paperback and plan to share it with other readers, so I got the e-book so that I can keep a copy for myself.

Rule by Jay Crownover (Purchased) - Another Daily Deal One-Click. A friend had it on her wishlist and I gave her a copy and then bought it for myself.

Sneaking Candy by Lisa Burstein (Purchased) - After I read and reviewed the ARC (My Review), I had to support Lisa by buying a copy. Now if it was just offered in paperback, I'd be over the moon. I love the colors on the cover and want to add it to my Lisa Burstein collection on my shelves.

"I thought Harrison and Katelyn held the monopoly on hotness in My Unexpected Forever, but I WAS WRONG because Jimmy is hot, hot, hot!"

"As
sexy and alluring as Jimmy is, we get to know that he is more than just
eye-candy. He has a past that has shaped who he is and determines what
he wants in his future"

"In
her writing, Heidi really captured the characters falling in love with
each other. It isn't just attraction and sex. The emotions of caring
about someone, and giving themselves over to the love they were
experiencing rang true and was authentic"

"Forever My Girl and My Unexpected Forever have become my "go-to" books and now I'm adding Finding My Forever to the list"

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists. I am too so that is why I am participating this week.

Top Ten Books I'd Like Santa to Bring

All of these books are on my Christmas wishlist or were on my Secret Santa wishlists. And I'm pretty sure that one of these books is in my stocking right now!!!

Everywhere I look, my
friends are settling down - marriage, children, white picket fences; but
not me. Marriage isn't in the cards for me. I’m a ladies man.

A rock star.

I was born and raised in the industry.

I love everything about my life, especially the attention from the women that my status brings me. Women find me. I don’t chase. I know what they want and they know I’ll deliver.

But after one look, one touch, one night... Now I’m the one doing the chasing.

I need to find a way to show her that I’m serious, that I can change. I need to find a way to show her that I can love her fully, and only her. I need to find a way to show her that she’s my forever.

My Thoughts

As soon as I finished My Unexpected Forever, I'd hoped that there will be another Beaumont book coming our way. I mean there had to be. We got Liam's story in Forever My Girl. Then we got to know Harrison, but what about the younger, wilder Jimmy "JD" Davis? We had to have his story too and Heidi certainly didn't let her readers down. I thought Harrison and Katelyn held the monopoly on hotness in My Unexpected Forever, but I WAS WRONG because Jimmy is hot, hot, hot! As sexy and alluring as Jimmy is, we get to know that he is more than just eye-candy. He has a past that has shaped who he is and determines what he wants in his future. I liked that he was younger than the other band members because we got to see a different perspective of band life through his interactions with his fans.In Finding My Forever, we also get more of Harrison and Katelyn and Liam and Josie, and let me just say that Liam is a bit of hard ass in the truest, most admirable sense of the word. He isn't just the lead singer of 4225 West, he does everything he can to protect and take care of his own. And I love him for that!

I love this story so hard. As much as I was tempted to rush through it, I took my time reading because I was caught up in the emotions
of the characters and what they went through and the way it made me feel
to read about them. In her writing, Heidi really captured the characters falling in love with each other. It isn't just attraction and sex. The emotions of caring about someone, and giving themselves over to the love they were experiencing rang true and was authentic. I loved all of the flirty moments which added lightness and humor with
the little winks and grins. I must mention the cover of Finding My Forever. All of the other covers have been gorgeous (It was the Forever My Girl cover that drew me to this series in the first place), but this is my absolute favorite cover (so far) of the Beaumont series. I love how the girl is turned toward "Jimmy" with the her hip cocked like she is giving just as much attitude as she is getting. It is a perfect depiction of what happens in the story.

With the many books I own and my ever-growing TBR list, I don't reread books very often. Yet, I make an exception for the Beaumont series books. I've reread all of the books many times throughout this year because these are characters that I can't get away from. And I don't want to. Forever My Girl and My Unexpected Forever have become my "go-to" books and now I'm adding Finding My Forever to the list. As long as Heidi keeps writing, I'll keep reading and recommending her books.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC as part of the Finding My Forever blog tour hosted by Love N Books in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any way other than the ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque
Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home
is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

During
the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing
one of the many stories planned for release or sitting courtside during either
daughter's basketball games.

Friday, December 20, 2013

For this hop, I wanted to give away a book by an author who has captured my attention with her stories of hot rock stars with heart. If you follow this blog regularly, you know that I am talking about Heidi McLaughlin and her Beaumont Series: Forever My Girl (#1), My Everything (novella #1.5), and My Unexpected Forever (#2). I've read this series several times this year (I love it so much!) and am looking forward to the next book, Finding MyForever, coming out in just a few days - December 30! To celebrate, I am giving away one signed paperback of any of Heidi McLaughlin's books. You can choose any book from The Beaumont Series (including the upcoming Finding My Forever) or her stand-alone New Adult novel, Lost In You.

Book 1

novella 1.5

Book 2

Book 3

Stand-Alone

Giveaway Details

Enter by Rafflecopter below must be 18 or older to enter

U.S. Addresses Only

prize is for your choice of one signed paperback by Heidi McLaughlin one winner will be selected and announced via Rafflecopter

Hannah never meant to be a mean girl – at Camp Juniper Point or at her
high school. It just sort of happened during one painful year when her
parents split and her life fell apart. Who knew being mad at the world
would catapult her to popularity? But since changing the status quo
would make her some serious enemies, she’s prepared to ride out her time
until graduation. That is, until a camp friend calls her on the act
during their school ski trip. Will Julian out her to her friends? Or
will the guy she once accused of being King of the Nerds make her wish
she was a whole lot more like him?

Camp Christmas Excerpt

Hannah

A male voice in my ear made me jump.

“I thought you gave up the mean girl act at camp last summer.”

Turning slowly, I faced the only boy at Northstar Academy who knew I attended camp in a remote corner ofthe Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina every year.

“I thought we had a deal never to speak to each other,” I shot back, nudging my bag higher on my shoulder. I didn’t follow my friends since I didn’t want to be seen talking to Julian Berwick.

“Really?” He grinned, surprising me with a flash of white teeth and humor. “I think a ‘deal’ implies agreement between both parties. You barking at me to keep my mouth shut when we were ten years old doesn’t count.”

He strode away toward the main lodge, his long legs covering ground in a hurry. What was he, like six-foot-four? He’d been tall and gawky forever. Now, he seemed tall and…built.

“Wait,” I called, following him toward the building and hoping none of my friends watched from the windows.

Thankfully, thick holiday wreaths covered most of the windows anyway, the whole place decked out for Christmas.

He stopped. Turned.

I took a breath, ready to launch into a tirade about keeping his distance. But seeing him through the falling snow, his longish dark bangs half covering one eye, it was like looking at a stranger. When had he quit carrying a dopey fake sword with him everywhere? He’d worn a cape for as long as I’d known him, whether he was with a bunch of rich kids from Manhattan at Northstar or he was at camp with his geekster squad of science-lovers and video game freaks.

“Where’s your cape?” I asked, sounding like an idiot. I cleared my throat, grateful I had pulled down my goggles earlier, since they hid half my face. “I mean, you’re not trying to turn normal or anything, right? Because I think it’s too late for you to fit in.”

Why did I feel awkward around Julian of all people? It made no sense. Maybe I was just regretting the showdown with Missy since I’d hoped to have fun on Christmas Eve instead of the endless battle to maintain social status.

“Same old Hannah.” He heaved a sigh and shook his head. For the first time, I noticed some kind of tattoo on his neck, half hidden by a scarf. “Guess the camp rumors about you had it wrong.”

He turned to head inside by the time my ears caught up with what he’d said.

“Excuse me?” I tugged his sleeve to pull him away from the door, away from a red-cheeked family wearing matching wool reindeer sweaters and clutching paper cups of hot cocoa.

Julian glanced at my hand on his sleeve and frowned. For a second, my gaze darted to where my snowflake-decorated fingernails rested on his wrist just above his black leather glove. Flustered, I let go.

“If you have more insults in mind, I’m going to leave.” He spoke clearly, as if he was talking to an eight-year-old. “Otherwise, I’m listening.”

I pulled off my goggles, wanting a better look at this semi-normal-seeming boy who’d taken the place of Julian the Super Nerd. My hair snagged in the hinge though, and I accidentally yanked it. When Julian reached to help free me, I pulled back and tugged out enough strands to hurt.

“You can’t talk smack about camp rumors and then walk away. What gives?” I loved camp. No one there knew about my mom, serial dater of rich men. No one at camp noticed if I wore last year’s clothes. Or if I forgot to be too cool for campfire songs and trilled a chorus of “Kumbaya” with the girls in my cabin.

I really missed them.

“Nothing. I just thought…” He folded his arms across his chest, taking up way too much space for a boy I’d always thought of as gangly. He started to lean against the side of the lodge, until an underclassman approached and handed him his lift ticket. “Thanks, man. Would you mind getting Hannah’s, too? You can take a turn down the mountain with my video camera.”

The younger kid looked at me, nodded at Julian and then ran off as fat snowflakes fell all around us, a waterfall of icy lace.

I hadn’t been the reigning queen bee of our cabin, Divas’ Den, for the last seven years by letting the rumor mill get the best of me. I worked the system, not the other way around.

“No one.” Julian reached toward me and I tensed. But he just lifted the heavy bag with my skis off my shoulder and propped it up against the lodge. “I just saw you hanging out with the Munchies’ Manor girls at the end of camp last year. The word around camp was that you’d made peace with your nemesis.”

Leave it to Julian to make it sound like the rival cabin was from the Klingon Empire. Not that I would ever admit to familiarity with Klingon culture. It was one thing to lust after Chris Pine. Another entirely to admit I’d ever attended a Star Trek convention in my own brush with nerd-dom.

“Oh.” Last summer at camp had been weird. But then, it wasn’t easy being fabulous all the time, especially not when other girls were letting down their guards and having fun.

Not when that was exactly what I wished I could do, too.

“Maybe. But Northstar Academy is a long way from Camp Juniper Point.” My eyes went to his neck where I’d seen a hint of a tattoo. Something dark green and black. I was curious.

“Seven hundred seventy miles.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“I am aware of that.” His brown eyes studied me in a way that made me self-conscious. And not because of last year’s clothes. “I’m telling you, it’s not that different here.”

“You wouldn’t understand.” I grabbed my bag again, ready to be done with this conversation. Since when did Julian-Freaking-Berwick get to judge me? “It’s different for me and you know it.”

“Because you’re a girl?”

I rolled my eyes and remained silent while my phone started to vibrate. My friends must have finally noticed I was missing.

“Do you think I’ve never felt like an outsider?” Julian asked.

Perfectly serious.

I forced a laugh as I pulled my phone from my pocket. No way was I letting him see how much that question got to me…

Joanne and Karen Rock- writing sisters-in-law- formed a partnership to pen YA novels as J.K. Rock. Their debut book, Camp Boyfriend, is available July 2, 2013 from Spencer Hill Contemporary.

Prior
to joining creative forces, Joanne Rock began her career as an author
of adult romance for various Harlequin series. Published in twenty
languages and twenty-seven countries, Joanne writes both contemporary
romance and medieval historicals in addition to the occasional romantic
suspense. She is a three-time RITA nominee and Bookseller’s Best
finalist.

Karen Rock sold her first adult romance to Harlequin’s new Heartwarming line. The Forever Wish
(September 2013) is an uplifting tale of love against the odds during
the hero’s battle with cancer. In addition to writing, Karen is an
eighth grade English teacher who has written and published screenplays
for production by school theater departments. She is a regular blogger
at Cynthia Leitich Smith’s popular “Cynsations” blog.

Together,
Joanne and Karen write Young Adult stories that don’t back down from
real issues. Whether their characters are falling in love at summer camp
or facing the consequences of tough life choices, the authors enjoy
helping them navigate those challenges. Their “Camp Boyfriend” books
are romantic dramas with a strong emphasis on teen friendships and self
discovery. Fun, warm-hearted and emotional, the series includes Camp Boyfriend (July 2013), Camp Payback (April 2014) and Camp Forget-Me-Not (August 2014).

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Today Erin Fletcher and Entangled Teen are revealing the
cover for WHERE YOU’LL FIND ME, releasing in early 2014! Check out the gorgeous
cover, exclusive excerpt, and enter to win an eARC!

On to the reveal!

When Hanley Helton discovers a boy living in her garage, she
knows she should kick him out. But Nate is too charming to be dangerous. He
just needs a place to get away, which Hanley understands. Her own escape
methods—vodka, black hair dye, and pretending the past didn't happen—are more
traditional, but who is she to judge?

Nate doesn't tell her why he's in her garage, and she
doesn't tell him what she's running from. Soon, Hanley¹s trading her late-night
escapades for all-night conversations and stolen kisses. But when Nate¹s
recognized as the missing teen from the news, Hanley isn't sure which is worse:
that she's harboring a fugitive, or that she's in love with one.

Nate looks me over, from my jacket to my favorite pair of
jeans, to the shoes that are bonfire-worthy but still cute. My hair, with the
help of a straightener, is so silky that my dark bangs fall into my eyes even
more than usual. My eye makeup is amped up. Whether all of this is because of
the bonfire or because of who I hoped I’d run into before leaving is open for
debate. He reaches up and brushes my bangs away from my face. The split-second
touch makes me crave more. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you.”

“Where are you headed?”

Though staying here in the garage might be a better option,
I say, “A bonfire.”

Nate studies me again, but this time it feels like he’s
looking for something deeper. “Don’t you ever get tired of sneaking out?”

“Not really,” I say with a shrug.

He tugs on the zipper of my fleece, lowering it slightly and
pulling me closer. “What are you running from, Hanley?”

It feels like my secrets are written all over my face, but I
say, “Nothing.”

When he smiles, it’s almost sad. “I don’t buy it.”

I lean in, putting both hands on the car behind him, one on
either side, trapping him. “You tell me why you’re living in my garage and I’ll
tell you what I’m running from.”

He gives a sly smile and doesn’t budge. “Secrets it is.”

“Secrets it is,” I echo. And even though the small space
between us is electric and threatening to disappear, I push off the car and
step away. “I’ll see you later,” I say as I open the door.

“Hanley,” he says before I can get too far. “Be careful out
there, okay?”

I don’t make any promises.

About Erin:

Erin Fletcher is a morning person who does most of her
writing before sunrise while drinking excessive quantities of coffee, believes
flip-flops qualify as year-round footwear, and would spend every day at the
beach if she could. She has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics (which is almost
never useful when writing books) and lives in North Carolina.